Systems and methods are provided for improving uplink coverage in a wireless communication network. A first correlated array and a second correlate array each comprise a plurality of antenna elements. Each correlated array has an inter-element spacing of one wavelength of a signal for which the array is configured to receive. The first and second correlated arrays are interleaved such that one-half of a wavelength of a signal for which at least one of the correlated arrays is configured to receive separates adjacent elements of the first and second correlated arrays. Signals received by each correlated array are combined using statistical signal processing techniques to create combined signals that may be provided to the wireless communication network. Combining uplink signals from at least two interleaved uncorrelated arrays may increase the effective spacing of each array without sacrificing base station space or throughput.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A system for improving uplink coverage in a wireless communication network, the system comprising: a first correlated antenna array configured to receive a first signal having a first wavelength, the first correlated antenna array comprising a first plurality of antenna elements separated by a distance of one of the first wavelength; a first combining component that creates a first combined signal by combining the signal received by each of the first plurality of antenna elements; a second correlated antenna array configured to receive a second signal having a second wavelength, the second correlated antenna array comprising a second plurality of antenna elements separated by a distance of one of the second wavelength, wherein each of the second plurality of antennas is disposed at a distance of approximately half of an average of the first wavelength and the second wavelength from the nearest element of the first correlated antenna array; and a second combining component that creates a second combined signal by combining the signal received by each of the second plurality of antenna elements.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first combining component and the second combining component utilizes maximum ratio combining (MRC) to create at least one of the first combined signal and the second combined signal.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first combining component and the second combining component utilizes minimum mean squared error (MMSE) to create at least one of the first combined signal and the second combined signal.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first wavelength and the second wavelength are approximately the same.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the first signal and the second signal are the same signal.
6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a third combining component, wherein the third combining component creates a total receive signal by combining the first combined signal and the second combined signal using signal processing techniques comprising at least one method selected from a group consisting of MRC and MMSE.
7. The system of claim 6 , further comprising a processor, wherein the processor receives the total receive signal and provides the wireless communication network with the total receive signal.
8. A method for improving uplink connections between a wireless communication devices and a base station, the method comprising: receiving a first signal on each of a first plurality of antennas comprising a first correlated array; creating a first combined signal by combining the first signal received by each of the first plurality of antennas; receiving a second signal on each of a second plurality of antennas comprising a second correlated array, the first correlated array being uncorrelated with the second correlated array; creating a second combined signal by combining the second signal received by each of the second plurality of antennas; and creating a total receive signal by combining the first combined signal with the second combined signal.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising communicating the combined uplink signal to at least one processor.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the first combined signal and the second combine signal is created by using MMSE to combine the signals received by at least one of the first plurality of antennas and the second plurality of antennas.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein each of the first plurality of antennas and the second plurality of antennas comprises four antennas.
12. A system for improving uplink coverage in a wireless communication network, the system comprising: a first plurality of correlated antennas, each of the first plurality of correlated antennas configured to receive a signal, the signal having a central frequency and a bandwidth, each of the first plurality of antennas separated by a distance of one wavelength of the central frequency, wherein each of the first plurality of correlated antennas is connected to a first combining component; the first combining component, wherein combining component combines the signal received by each of the first plurality of correlated antennas into a first combined signal; a second plurality of correlated antennas, each of the second plurality of correlated antennas configured to receive the signal, each of the second plurality of antennas separated by the distance of one wavelength of the central frequency, wherein each of the second plurality of correlated antennas is connected to a second combining component; the second combining component, wherein the second combining component combines the signal received by each of the second plurality of correlated antennas into a second combined signal; and a third combining component, wherein the third combining component combines the first combined signal and the second combined signal into a combined receive signal; wherein the first plurality of correlated antennas and the second plurality of antennas comprise an antenna array, and wherein the distance between an antenna of the first plurality of correlated antennas and an antenna of the second plurality of correlated antennas is one-half of the wavelength.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the first combining component, the second combining component, and the third combining component utilizes maximum ratio combining (MRC) to combine signals.
14. The system of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the first combining component, the second combining component, and the third combining component utilizes minimum mean squared error (MMSE) to combine signals.
15. The system of claim 12 , wherein each antenna of the first plurality of correlated antennas and the second plurality of correlated antennas comprises a cross polarized dipole antenna.
16. The system of claim 12 , wherein each antenna of the first plurality of correlated antennas comprises a first dipole of a first plurality of cross polarized dipole antennas and each antenna of the second plurality of correlated antennas comprises a first dipole of a second plurality of cross polarized dipole antennas.
17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising: a third plurality of correlated antennas, each of the third plurality of correlated antennas comprising a second dipole of the first plurality of cross polarized dipole antennas, each of the third plurality of antennas configured to receive the signal and separated by the distance of one wavelength of the central frequency, wherein each of the third plurality of correlated antennas is connected to a fourth combining component; the fourth combining component, wherein the fourth combining component combines the signal received by each of the third plurality of correlated antennas into a third combined signal; a fourth plurality of correlated antennas, each of the fourth plurality of correlated antennas comprising a second dipole of the second plurality of cross polarized dipole antennas, each of the fourth plurality of antennas configured to receive the signal and separated by the distance of one wavelength of the central frequency, wherein each of the fourth plurality of correlated antennas is connected to a fifth combining component; and a fifth combining component, wherein the fifth combining component combines the signal received by each of the fourth plurality of correlated antennas into a fourth combined signal; and a sixth combining component, wherein the fifth combining component combines the third combined signal and the fourth combined signal.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein each of the first plurality of antennas, the second plurality of antennas, the third plurality of antennas, and the fourth plurality of antennas comprise four antennas.
19. The system of claim 12 , wherein each of the first plurality of antennas and the second plurality of antennas comprise at least two antennas.
20. The system of claim 12 , further comprising at least one processor, wherein the combined receive signal is input to the at least one processor.
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May 14, 2018
October 1, 2019
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